Anyone of a certain age or entertainment preference will recognize the Borg. For the rest of you, let me explain a little. In Star Trek, the Borg is one of the most dangerous foes our heroes have to deal with. To quote Wikipedia’s entry: The Borg are a collection of species that have been turned into cybernetic organisms functioning […]
7 words and phrases that should die
You know what happens when someone tells you not to think about a pink elephant? Suddenly you can’t get that creature out of your mind, right? Something similar seems to be happening to me as I think and write about writing. My jargon-o-meter is on high alert these days. So, for a little fun, here […]
Writing for someone else’s voice
If you write fundraising appeals, chances are someone else will sign what you write. So how do you write in a way that’s both compelling and believable? The most important thing is not that the letter sounds like the person signing it. The most important thing is that the letter is effective. So resist complaints […]
Say thank you like you mean it
Don’t settle for a boring, emotion-free thank you. I picked up my mail the other day and opened an envelope from a well-respected advocacy organization. It was an acknowledgment of my recent gift. And it was so disappointing! Mentally, I went through a list of failures in one letter: My husband’s name was spelled incorrectly. […]
Your killer advantage: great customer service
A customer service story Do your donors feel like this? The other night, my husband called my cell phone. “Are you home?” he asked, puzzled. “Yes”, I answered, just as confused. Apparently, he’d been trying our home line and getting no answer. I checked, and yes, our line was dead. I tried to call AT&T, […]